Image by Richard Davenport

Product by Mark Ravenhill was first performed by the writer himself as a one-man show at the 2005 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The play has now been revived by director Robert Shaw with Olivia Poulet playing the role of Leah. The show has had huge success at the 2014 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, with critics like The List describing it as ‘a sophisticated play on the simultaneous attraction and repulsion of terrorism’ and Time Out who say that the revival is ‘funny, cutting and brilliantly performed’.

The production will be now be playing at the Arcola from April 27. But the question is: how does this satirical piece on the media, Hollywood and terrorism still have relevance nearly ten years after it was originally written? I caught up with Poulet to talk about the show and in particular what the show says about our society.

The main theme that runs through this piece is that of terrorism – or rather a glamorized version of terrorism. Leah who is a film maker is trying to convince the famous actress Julia (who we do not see onstage) to be in his latest film by pitching the dire script to her. The script describes an outrageous story of a 9/11 widow falling in love with a terrorist and going to extreme lengths in order to keep him. Poulet explains how: ‘She’s viewing this as a means to an end to get this girl attached to a project that potentially is just dying in the water. I wouldn’t give her the credit really of thinking much about terrorism.’ She goes on to say, ‘In terms of glamorizing, Hollywood can do that sometimes but I don’t know if that’s in our society or not.’

‘I love Ravenhill’s work’, explains Poulet when talking about her preparation for the role, ‘I find his writing not hard to learn as it’s so fluid and actor friendly. I didn’t do any sort of investigative journalism or major method technique in terms of preparation. Lines were the most important thing.’ It’s true as Ravenhill’s ‘fluid’ narrative does speak for itself in this production and Poulet has hit the nail on the head in bringing his work to life.

Terrorism is a hot media topic at the moment. We are constantly seeing and hearing about the latest shootings, bombings and other atrocities. ‘It’s very present and prevalent in the way that is something that the media have something to say about – because it is rife.’ WhatsOnStage said in a review that Product is ‘a punchy satire on both pop culture and Western attitudes to Islam’. Yet Poulet thinks otherwise, ‘Does the play reflects the media’s views? I suppose it does in some ways. There was an interesting critique of the play in Edinburgh which was that someone would find it great and funny but this film hadn’t been made yet in Hollywood. So therefore, maybe its satire pushed too far. Maybe people do have an acceptable level to push it. The fact that it’s not been made is a sign that Hollywood is more understanding and sympathetic and the media is a bit more careful than we give it credit for’.

It is true that whilst we are bombarded by images and news reports on a daily basis, we are always simply given the facts, should the media actually be engaging us more in what is going on in the world? In some ways, this revival is an example of the power that the theatre has when it comes to tackling important issues, which the media sometimes does not possess. Poulet believes that, ‘Theatre is amazing for that, particularly satire which is why I’m probably drawn to it – because you can pack a punch with comedy. It’s one thing to tell a story in a very serious fashion and you take as much as you take from it but it’s another thing to do it with humour. I think it makes people think in a different way and can teach a lesson in a far stronger way or highlight crisis points in our society in a far more cogent fashion.’

This is true not just on the issue of terrorism but other political and social issues too. Other plays which are being performed at the moment such as David Hare’s The Absence of War (about party elections) or Michael Wynne’s Who Cares (about the NHS) aim to get us a thinking about important issues – just like Product does. Theatre can be used as a tool for making us think about issues, without feeling as though we are being bombarded by them. This is why plays like Product have a more important role nowadays than the media in engaging us in the issues that affect our society today.

Product is playing at Arcola Theatre until May 23. For more information and tickets, see their website.